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Supporters

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54% of the 281 respondents are confident or very confident the party will win in their seat in 2015. Using data from across the two surveys, we may make a ballpark projection of Labour having between 311 and 326 seats in the next House of Commons. This is hung parliament territory.

In Liberal Democrat held seats the confident/very confident percentage is 85% of Labour activists who think their party will win said seat. In Tory held seats it is a much more modest 45% - the Tory nut will be harder to crack for Labour.

Only 22.4% of respondents in the 106 target seats deem Ed Miliband 'a help' to Labour's electoral chances with 38% viewing him as 'a hindrance' or 'a significant hindrance' to their fortunes.

UKIP are viewed as more of a danger to the Conservative vote than Labour. 61% of respondents think UKIP will take most votes from the Conservatives in the seats Labour need to win, with 15% for Labour.

In terms of current policies, the following are viewed as gaining the party the most votes in the must gain seats: repealing the NHS bill (22.4%), scrapping the bedroom tax (21.7%) and freezing energy bills (20.6%).

But could a new course be pursued? Of the new policies that could gain Labour votes in the 106 target seats:

78.3% of respondents see Labour's current proposals as too timid, with 16.4% as 'about right.' Just 1.4% believe they are too radical.

Openly declaring they would renationalise expiring rail franchises if it makes business sense would have a massively positive impact on the Labour vote. 87.9% argue it would benefit the Labour vote in these vital seats, with only 2.8% viewing it as harmful.

Pledging to follow the 10 European nations moving ahead with a broad based Financial Transaction Tax would have a strongly positive impact on the Labour vote in the target seats too. 51.9% argue it would benefit the Labour vote, with only 6.4% viewing it as harmful.

In the 50 Labour held seats most vulnerable to be taken by the Conservatives:

Over 90% of the 124 respondents are confident or very confident of holding their seat.

Claiming Ed Miliband does not look like a suitable Prime Minister is viewed to be doubly an effective tactic (30.6%) for Tories trying to take Labour seats as it will be in seats the Conservatives are trying to defend (15.3%).

Taking all 405 respondents from both polls into account:

For the Labour Party...

over three-quarters (76.3%) of councillors are confident or very confident the party will win in 2015.

The slogan 'One Nation Labour' is viewed sceptically, with less than a third (32.8%) thinking it has worked and over half (51.6%) that it has not.

For the future, Andy Burnham is viewed as by far the most attractive potential leadership candidate in both defensive and offensive marginals. 36% of respondents think he would gain Labour the most votes in any 2020 election. Yvette Cooper (21.2%) and Chuka Umunna (16.3%) follow.

Labour activists would prefer to see a tougher line on free schools, with 58.8% thinking they should be scrapped altogether or placed under LEA control.

Labour activists think the party should not offer an in-out referendum on membership of the EU by an over two to one margin (31.1% to 62.7%).

For the Conservative Party...

Labour activists think negative messaging will work most effectively for Cameron. 44% believe claiming Labour's responsibility for the 2008 crash will be the Tories strongest argument, with 20% believing that 'claiming Ed Miliband does not look like a Prime Minister' will aid the Conservative cause the most. Highlighting the broad economic recovery was selected by one respondent in four (25.2%).

For the Liberal Democrats...

In the event of another hung parliament, less than one in eight (10.9%) Labour activists across the two polls would back a Coalition with Nick Clegg in situ, three in ten (29.4%) would back one were he to resign as Lib Dem leader, and a majority (56.5%) think Labour should form a minority government.